As Soldiers from 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, began uploading the first tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles onto rail cars Nov. 15 for movement to Europe, a prime consideration during the rail-yard operations has been safety.
The 3rd Brigade is the first ABCT to send its own heavy equipment to Europe from the United States since the 1980s, and putting more than 2,000 pieces of rolling stock -- particularly tracked vehicles -- onto trains is no easy task.
But as the first tanks rolled up to train cars narrower than their cargo at the railhead at Fort Carson, Colorado, the loading task went smoothly and efficiently thanks to strict safety measures implemented by the brigade.
"The biggest thing that we do to maximize safety is to have the proper amount of ground guides," said Capt. Kenneth Kloeppel, the officer in charge at the rail yard and a unit movement officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, which is overseeing the brigade rail-load operations here.
Putting those ground guides in the right position also is key, said Kloeppel. For example, as a Bradley drove up onto one train car, he pointed out that the ground guide would move to the next car to ensure a safe standoff from the heavy equipment.
"At no point are any of the ground guides walking backwards. On the side, additional ground guides are present," said Kloeppel. "They are there to ensure the vehicles don't veer off the track. There are various safety personnel who are present and will continue to ensure we are holding up to standard."
A week prior, 3rd ABCT Soldiers sent off more than 600 pieces of equipment -- mostly support and maintenance vehicles -- by train to a seaport in Texas.
But the loading of trains from Nov. 15-19 marked the movement to Europe of the first armor combat vehicles, including tanks, Bradleys, Paladin self-propelled artillery and mortar carriers.
Beyond safety measures, Soldiers have focused specifically on vehicle maintenance before, during and after rail loading to ensure readiness as soon as the equipment arrives to Germany in January.
"The most important thing to do when you're dealing with moving vehicles for shipment are to ensure you conduct maintenance on them to standard," said Staff Sgt. Robert Avila, a squad leader and Bradley commander for Apache Troop, 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd ABCT. "It can take a lot of time to get a vehicle up and running without proper maintenance. That's the biggest issue we try to avoid."
This is particularly true for 3rd ABCT, which conducted nearly two months of intense field training in the months leading up to its deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
"When you move the vehicles off road or through the desert, it wears on the vehicles," said Avila. "That is why maintenance is one of the key elements to our mission. We've trained hard for this mission, and our equipment is just as ready as our Soldiers."
The 3rd ABCT ultimately will set up operations in eight countries spread across central and Eastern Europe, as U.S. Army Europe increases its presence across the region to help strengthen the NATO's defense and deterrence measures.
Although Operation Atlantic Resolve has been ongoing since 2014, 3rd ABCT's deployment marks the beginning of what is being termed "heel-to-toe" rotations of heavy brigades sent from the United States
"So far there aren't any safety concerns," said Spc. Alexzander Boehmer, an M2A3 Bradley gunner for 4-10 Cav's Apache Troop. "Overall it's a steady process, and safety is key. We have a briefing every morning."
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